Thanks for the response. Maybe I should leave it alone. I know that
the 52 is not considered hot since AMD's spec sheets say 90 as a max,
and the machine has always been completely stable. I was just
concerned that the change is an indicator of pad breakdown and I'm
scared that it will breakdown completely. I never updated the BIOS
since there were no updates from the MB manufactuer in the past year.
This is strictly some kind of breakdown occurring in the pad and/or
HSF. I never touched the CPU/HSF after I built the machine, other
than spraying air at it to blow out the dust from the fan blades and
fins.
I was at Fry's yesterday looking at new HSF assemblies and considering
some of the simpler ones, but they are all so large that I'm not sure
if they'll fit. The only way to test them is to actually install them
and if it turns out they don't fit then I'll be forced to go back to
the stock HSF and follow your procedure below.
If it's going to worry you or if you see a continual decline in thermal
transfer, that is, ever-increasing temp, then it may be worthwhile to
remove 'sink, lap and use compound just for that piece of mind. Although
previously I wrote that Arctic Silver isn't necessary, there is a benefit
to synthetic compounds in general, that in long term use on hot small CPU
cores they tend to stay mixed, not separating so readily as silicone based
compound can. Generally with a heatsink using silicone compound and a
very hot CPU with such small core area (Athlon or Duron) I'd plan to
reapply compound every 18 months or so, but certainly it depends how hot
it gets... some of my boxes run full load for hours on end and certainly
generate more heat than others.
As for the Frys heatsinks, there are no Frys here and i"m not familiar
with their selection but in general it's good to buy biggest 'sink that
will fit, one that accepts an 80x25mm fan. Larger metal surface area
(will an all copper bottom) allows lower CFM airflow, in conjunction with
the large fan, can result in quieter operation, longer fan lifespan, and
often a longer interval between cleaning.
AMD designates what's called a "keep out zone", which is the area around
the CPU socket in which manufacturer of motherboard should avoid placement
of any components that interfere with heatsinks meeting same keep out zone
specification. Generally most 'sinks do meet this, with notable exception
of Thermalright SLK-900 and possibly others with wing-like fins, possibly
the Zalmans also. A careful measurement of the board should determine if
a 'sink will fit, you can get specs on the 'sink measurement at it's
manufacturer's website or many online vendors. In some situations I'll
get a 'sink knowing it's barely too big and simply take a hacksaw,
grinder, or dremel tool to the conflicting area on the 'sink, as I really
like to use biggest 'sink possible within reason, due to aforementioned
benefit of allowing selection of optimal fan.
Still, with your 'sink having degraded performance yet still keeping CPU
at 52C, you should be content with that heatsink, there's no benefit to
lower CPU temp unless you want to push the theoretical limits of CPU
lifespan and try to use it for a couple decades or longer.
